Oswego State President Deborah Stanley sent out a campus-wide announcement on Sept. 7 concerning President Donald Trump’s recent plan to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order.
In addition to the campus-wide email, Stanley also sent the letter to the New York State Congressional Delegation, urging them to pass legislation to protect and support the people that the order permits to stay in the U.S.
DACA is an immigration policy that former President Barack Obama set in place in 2012, allowing some people who had entered the U.S. illegally as minors to receive a two-year period of deferred action, subject to renewals.
There are around 800,000 of these individuals, and they have been referred to as “dreamers,” after the unpassed DREAM Act. This policy has been under heavy debate since it was enacted, which is why Trump’s recent decision to end it is now a topic of controversy.
“At SUNY Oswego, we care deeply about all our students and remain committed to securing the future of our students who, personally or through connections to loved ones, now face undeserved discrimination and life-changing ramifications from the decision to end the Delayed [Deffered] Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program,” the letter said.
The decision to send the letter to the entire campus before sending it to the congressional delegation made some students feel that Stanley was concerned about the interests of the campus.
“I think she did it to make the international students feel safer in Oswego, and to reassure them that they will not be deported,” said Daniel Donovan, an Oswego State sophomore.
Faculty Assembly Chair Member Lisa Glidden helped Stanley send out the statement to the New York State Congressional representative’s concerning the Trump administrations statement that it was planning on rescinding the executive order establishing DACA. Congress has six months to enact their own policy to replace and make law any replacement to the DACA protections.
Glidden said that she feels it is important to let the elected representatives know their position.
“A second reason why I think it’s important, especially for a public university, to take a stance on this is the mission of public universities to enable the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake,” Glidden said.
The signers of the message said sending out a statement to the New York State representatives was important so their position was clear and sealed and sending out an email to all Oswego State students was crucial so the students could feel safe and protected.
This is a topic that will not be solved in the near future, but the board at Oswego State said they wanted to make clear to all staff and students that they have taken a clear position and will do anything they can to ensure the safety of their people.
Photo: Gillibrand’s Senate Website via Wikimedia Commons
